All international flights both inbound and outbound from Bangladesh will remain suspended from 12am Saturday until March 31.
Only flights from four countries -- China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and England will be allowed to operate.
Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman confirmed the matter on Saturday.
In order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 (novel coronavirus 2019) disease in Bangladesh, all scheduled international commercial passenger aircrafts departing from Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, and India shall not be allowed to land at any international airport of Bangladesh, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and CEO Mokabbir Hossain said in a press release issued on Saturday.
Qatar's old industrial zone has emerged as a hot spot for the coronavirus in the Gulf Arab state, putting at risk many migrant workers who live and work in the area comprising car service centres, warehouses and small shops.
The tiny country, where expatriates comprise the majority of the population, on Thursday reported eight more infections to take its tally to 460, the highest number among the six Gulf Arab states that have reported a total of more than 1,300 coronavirus cases, reports Reuters.
Considering the global situation international flights from infected countries have been barred from landing in Bangladesh.
However, Biman’s London and Manchester flights will operate as usual, the release said.
As of on Friday, 20 people were infected with coronavirus in Bangladesh, of which one died and three have recovered.
The coronavirus has infected 275,871 people around the world according to worldometer, as of Saturday.
Of them, 172,561 are currently treated with 7,765 being in serious or critical condition.
So far, 103,310 cases had outcomes and of them, 91,912 (89%) recovered and 11% died.
Covid-19 is affecting 185 countries and territories around the world and one international conveyance (the Diamond Princess cruise ship harboured in Yokohama, Japan).
The World Health Organization on March 11, declared the coronavirus crisis a pandemic.
